Former Director, Program on America and the Global Economy, Woodrow Wilson Center

Wilson Center Project(s):

"Economic Statecraft in the 21st Century"

Kent H. Hughes is the former Director of the Program on America and the Global Economy (PAGE) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. As part of the PAGE agenda, he published a book, Building the Next American Century: The Past and Future of American Economic Competitiveness (Wilson Center Press 2005), which emphasizes the importance of innovation and education to America’s future. Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Hughes served as Associate Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, president of the private sector Council on Competitiveness, and in a number of senior positions with the U.S. Congress. Prior to his congressional service, Dr. Hughes served as a staff attorney for the Urban Law Institute. He was also an International Legal Center Fellow and Latin American Teaching Fellow in Brazil where he worked on a reform of Brazilian legal education.

Dr. Hughes holds a Ph.D. in economics from Washington University, a LL.B. from Harvard Law School and a B.A in Political and Economic Institutions from Yale University. He serves on the Executive Advisory Board of FIRST Robotics and is a member of the D.C. Bar, American Bar Association and the American Economic Association.

Major Publications

"Innovation in the United States: The Interplay of History, Institutions, and American Culture," AICGS Policy Report 26 (American Institute of Contemporary German Studies, 2006)

"Are the Wheels Coming Off the American Auto Industry?" The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 14, 2006

Related Content for this Expert

Exiting the Eurozone will only exacerbate the austerity Greek voters have balked at, says Kent Hughes. Rather than leave, Greek economic and political leadership should seize the opportunity to rebuild a civic culture that will support stable finances and long-term growth.
more

With the recession eroding school budgets, educators today are being forced to do more with less. Leading education reformer Paul Vallas and Kenneth Wong of Brown University discuss practical, tested, and cost-effective solutions to improve America’s K-12 schools. more

In the wake of this weekend's elections in France, Greece, and other parts of Europe, headlines across the globe suggest that voters have delivered a major anti-austerity message to their governments. Wilson Center expert Kent Hughes provides analysis and perspective on what political change in France and other countries might mean.
more

Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), both first term Senators, discussed key components of the Start-up Act, which they have authored and introduced. The two Senators oulined why we need to keep talented people in the United States, especially in STEM fields and how the government can best serve entrepreneurs through regulations, taxes, and encouraging talent. more

This report by Institute for Defense Analyses and done at the request of the National Intelligence Manager for Science and
Technology in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, aims to identify emerging global trends in advanced manufacturing and to propose scenarios for advanced manufacturing 10 and 20 years in the future. more

John Nichols, The Nation's Washington correspondent and the Associate Editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin; Kent Hughes, director of the Wilson Center’s Program on America and the Global Economy more

If the financial crisis has taught us anything, it is that Americans save too little, spend too much, and borrow excessively. Join us for a discussion of Sheldon Garon's new book "Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves." more

In this Context interview, economist Kent Hughes spoke on Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy legacy and the idea that the Federal Reserve System may be at the top of the list when it comes to evaluating Wilson’s presidency and legacy.

With a still sluggish and struggling global economy, many economists believe that a successfully negotiated trade agreement between the U.S. and E.U. could provide the kind of jolt that many markets need. With negotiations over the proposed Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) about to heat up, Kent Hughes provides context on what could be a game changing agreement.

Deputy business editor Joe Bel Bruno and economy reporter Don Lee talk with Kent H. Hughes, director of the Program on America and the Global Economy at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars about the looming 'fiscal cliff'.

The Program on America and the Global Economy along with Paul Vallas, Distinguished Scholar and noted education reformer recently released a publication identifying the main challenges facing U.S. education in the 21st century.

Exiting the Eurozone will only exacerbate the austerity Greek voters have balked at, says Kent Hughes. Rather than leave, Greek economic and political leadership should seize the opportunity to rebuild a civic culture that will support stable finances and long-term growth.

In the wake of this weekend's elections in France, Greece, and other parts of Europe, headlines across the globe suggest that voters have delivered a major anti-austerity message to their governments. Wilson Center expert Kent Hughes provides analysis and perspective on what political change in France and other countries might mean.

Nearly 50% of the Haitian population is under the age of 18. Thus restructuring Haiti’s education system is the Government of Haiti’s top priority, a challenge complicated by the devastating 2010 earthquake. The Haitian Minister of Education, along with U.S. education reform expert Paul G. Vallas, share the details, the challenges, the progress and the need to realize Haiti’s vision for its future through education.

Distinguished panelists from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Agency for International Development will highlight inter-agency cooperation in implementing Secretary Clinton's Economic Statecraft Agenda. Speakers will outline how their respective agencies are working with the private sector to expand trade and investment, advocate for U.S. business interests and promote a level playing field.

The IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa, launched in Tokyo on October 12, 2012, highlights that economic conditions in the region have remained generally robust against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy. The near-term outlook for the region is also broadly positive: growth is projected at 5¼ percent a year through 2012–13. However, there is considerable diversity within the region, with low income countries and oil producers currently faring better than middle income countries closely linked to European markets.

“Waging War on Corruption – Inside the Movement Fighting the Abuse of Power “ is about power. It is an insider’s account of extraordinary battles against the abuse of public office by politicians and officials for their personal gain. This is a global journey from the birth of pioneering anti-corruption organization Transparency International in 1993, to the Arab Spring in 2011, as courageous people in scores of countries challenge authority and fight for justice. At stake is nothing less than our global security, the reduction of poverty, the stability of our economic and financial systems, and the cause of freedom and democracy.

Author Robert Litan, Director of Research for Bloomberg Government and the former vice president for research and policy at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will discuss his recently released book, Better Capitalism: Renewing the Entrepreneurial Strength of the American Economy.

Please join us for a compelling debate that explores these two competing interpretations and examines what the United States needs to do to restore robust economic growth. Robert Atkinson and Ed Luce will debate the affirmative, based on arguments from their books Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage and Time to Start Thinking, arguing the U.S. economy is suffering from underlying structural weaknesses which will continue to comprise America’s economic competitiveness until addressed. Dan Gross will counter that the decline of the American economy has been much exaggerated and that the U.S. economy remains structurally sound and is in fact poised for rapid growth once the financial crisis abates, as he argues in Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline . . . and the Rise of a New Economy.

It is crucial for the international community to understand the implications of attacks on civil society for the development of democratic governance in these countries and, more importantly, to identify effective ways to respond to them.

Craig Giffi will provide an overview of the current state of manufacturing in the United States and possible future impact of and importance of manufacturing to national prosperity, national security, and the entire innovation system. Giffi will be joined by Nayanee Gupta who will discuss how potential developments in advanced manufacturing could help sharply strengthen the American presence in manufacturing. To make the most of expected advances in manufacturing, the United States will also need to make a major commitment to develop, maintain, and upgrade workforce skills.

A panel of experts will discuss key aspects of the Start-Up Act with a special focus on the provisions designed to accelerate the commercialization of university research, the regulating of start-up companies, and the broadening of opportunities for temporary immigrants with post-graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to eventually quality for permanent residency visas.

Report on a December 11, 2001, Wilson Center Conference focused on three major challenges posed by China's membership in the WTO: adjust in the rural sector; the impact on China's state run enterprises; and the myriad adjustments China will make as it meets its WTO obligations. Click on the attachment for a free PDF version.

In the First Brazilian Congressional Study Mission on Innovation, a group of Brazilian congressman and senators visited the Wilson Center, State Department, and MIT to discuss innovation policies in the United States.

On June 28-29, 2010, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted the 20th Anniversary Summit of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. The fellows offer a unique perspective on U.S. schools and educational policy making; they have been chosen by the Department of Energy to spend a fellowship year, or two, in congressional or executive offices based on their excellence in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in K-12 schools. This report highlights the outcomes of the summit and focuses on key issues in STEM education.

The Program on America and the Global Economy (PAGE) and its Global Energy Initiative together with the Brazil Institute, have held a series of conferences that have focused in whole or in part on various developments in the field of biofuels. In the July 23, 2010 conference, PAGE turned to two scholars, C. Ford Runge and Robbin S. Johnson, both with ties to the University of Minnesota, to provide the current state of play in the development of biofuels, particularly in the United States. A second panel moderated by the Brazil Institute's Paulo Sotero focused on biofuels in an international context.

Published in December 2008, this report describes some of the most innovative educational programs in the country, which have succeeded in raising student performance and teacher preparedness. As a particular focus, it highlights those programs that have been effective in motivating minority and female students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It also presents the perspectives of key leaders in education, including former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, Congressman Brian Baird, and a group of distinguished classroom teachers.The STAGE Program's focus on education and the completion of this report were made possible through a generous grant from the Petrie Foundation.

Public and private sector collaboration helped the U.S. economy recover from its last period of economic malaise, and similar collaboration is needed today. Building the Next American Century describes that movement, including its origins in the stagflation of the early 1970s, declines in manufacturing, and challenges from Germany and Japan.

Collaboration between the public and private sectors helped the U.S. economy recover from its last period of economic malaise, and similar collaboration is needed today, according to a key participant in the 1980s–1990s competitiveness movement.In Building the Next American Century, Kent H. Hughes describes that movement, beginning with the conditions that stimulated it: stagflation in the early 1970s, declines in manufactured exports, and challenges from German and Japanese manufacturers. The United States responded with monetary and fiscal reform, technological innovation, and formation of a culture of lifelong learning. Although a great deal of leadership came from government, a new sense of partnership with the private sector and its leaders was crucial. Hughes attributes much of the national prosperity of the late 1990s to contributions from the private sectors. Hughes argues that a twenty-first-century competitiveness strategy with a system-wide approach to innovation, learning, and global engagement can meet today's challenges, even in the demanding environment shaped by national security concerns after 9/11.---Kent H. Hughes has served as President of the Council on Competitiveness, Associate Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Senior Economist of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, Chief Economist to Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd, and in a number of other important positions. He is currently director of the Project on Science, Technology, America, and the Global Economy at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.Building the Next American Century: The Past and Future of Economic Competitiveness(Woodrow Wilson Press, 2005)Price: $55.00 hardcover;$24.95 paperISBN 0-8018-8204-4 hardcover; 0-8018-8203-6 paperDistributed by: Johns Hopkins University PressTelephone: 1-800-537-5467 To order this book please visit: http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title_pages/8814.html

Pages

Don Lee, economics reporter for the LA Times, Don Wolfensberger, Wilson Center Senior Scholar, and Kent Hughes, Director of PAGE program at the Wilson Center, discuss the fiscal cliff in our "economics roundtable." Fuad Siniora, former prime minister of Lebanon, provides context on the Arab Spring from the perspective of that nation.

John Nichols, The Nation's Washington correspondent and the Associate Editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin; Kent Hughes, director of the Wilson Center’s Program on America and the Global Economy

Kathryn Lavelle, the Ellen and Dixon Long Associate Professor of World Affairs at Case Western Reserve University; Kent Hughes, director of the Wilson Center’s Program on America and the Global Economy

Amy Wilkinson, senior fellow at the Harvard university center for business and government and a public policy scholar at the Wilson Center. Kent Hughes , director of the Wilson Center's program on America and the global economy and the Wilson Center On the Hill program.